Yarn Cards

An event that comes but once a year deserves a special card. Match the singularity of a birthday or an anniversary with a homemade card "drawn" in yarn. Don't be shy about your artistic ability: You'll need to sketch only simple outlines -- the colors and the body of the fibers complete the picture -- so they are easy to make.

When designing cards, include only the details necessary to make the image recognizable. A cake, for example, requires only a few shallow curves, and a woolen spiral easily renders a flower. Make rough sketches on scratch paper first; lightly pencil a clean version onto a blank card or a piece of card stock folded in half. Trace the drawing with craft glue in a fine-tip dispenser. Carefully place yarn on the glue. Let dry, and then snip away excess.